My Favourite Walk: Climbing Otanewainuku - the first walk of the year
When the Mangatoi Walking Group, based in Te Puke was once again climbing Otanewainuku for its first walk of the year following a recess over the Christmas/New Year break, the question was asked - why do we do this walk first each year?
One answer to this is that it is a beautiful piece of virgin Podocarp forest on the doorstep of Te Puke that has several walking tracks and some prolific bird life but the real reason is understanding the history of the group.
Otanewainuku can be found in an area known as Mangatoi and access most easily gained from the car park and shelter on Mountain Road.
Mangatoi Road is close by and farms in this area were originally broken in from the bush and farmed with sheep.
In the late 1980’s one of the local farming families, Lis and Graeme McCarroll took it upon themselves to get to know their neighbours and their farms by holding regular walks over the properties and this was really the start of the Mangatoi Walking Group as we know
it today.
This year the first walk was attended by Lis and Graeme where Lis gave an interesting and comprehensive talk outlining this history.
They have not been active walkers with the group for some years but still live in the Te Puke area and have kept in touch with the group on a regular basis and try to attend any social events throughout the year.
We learnt from Lis that about 1991 with the help of local residents a book was written and published called Mangatoi Revisited which put a lot of the history of the pioneer farmers and others into print and so popular were the sales of the book there was some money available for another project.
It was decided this should be to construct a viewing platform on the summit of Otanewainuku over the trig site and this platform is there to this day and visited by thousands of walkers each year.
In describing the trials and tribulations of what went into the building of the platform, Lis was both informative and humorous and as most of the materials (even water to mix the cement) had to be carried to the top by hand there was plenty of opportunity to expand on some of the exploits of the volunteers.
This labour was helped by the cajoling into service of a helicopter to lift and place the heavy poles and some Army Territorials who were exercising in the area adding greatly to the manpower.
Others helped with donations of funds and materials but time and energy were the two things in greatest demand.
The view takes in Lottin Point to the east, the Kaimai and Coromandel ranges to the west, Rotorua and its environs to the south and out to coastal Bay of Plenty in the north.
Walking to the summit from the shelter takes about 45 minutes and the return can be made via a loop track.
Other tracks in the area are the 45 minute loop known as the Rimu Walk
Climbing Otanewainuku - the first walk of the year
which takes in some truly magnificent trees and further on the 1 ½ hour walk into Whataroa Falls and swimming hole which is always popular especially in the summer.
For the more adventurous a track through to Quarry Road via Otawa Trig starts here, but walkers should not take this walk lightly as it is a 7 ½ hour trek and the track is not as well defined as other tracks in the area.
The prolific bird life in Otanewainuku Forest has been assisted by an intensive pest control programme. It has also been supplemented by the reintroduction of kiwi and kokako and walkers never have to go far before being visited by the omnipresent robins.
Twenty two people plus a few grandchildren attended this walk and new members are also welcome.